Hansei

Hansei (jap. reflection) is one of pillars of Toyota production system. I refers to the Japanese culture, where every mistake should be acknowledged and than the person should find ways to improve. Hansei meeting after each project helps to detect new possibilities of improvement. As the improvement in Japanese philosophy has no end, also hansei is endless. To stop hansei is equal to stop learning.

The hansei is a way of life. It is taught in Japanese schools.

Hansei is one of Lean manufacturing pillars, together with: Heijunka, Poka yoke, Konnyaku stone, Andon, Just in time, Jidoka, Kaizen, Genchi genbutsu, Nemawashi.

Steps of Hansei

Recognition of the problem is a start point of doing Hansei. If it is believed there is no issue we can not find a way to improve. First of all we must realize that there is something wrong with what we did and then we can find some improvements. Following step is responsibility for any actions there are planned to happen. Someone need to be a person responsible for anything that may happen wrong in our actions. That means that this person is connected emotionally with actions. Next step is "Deep Regret", it means that we realize anything wrong that happened, we think about it, and we try try to figure it out how to avoid the same in the future. Afterwards we need to propose solutions of improvements. Awerness of mistakes in our actions. Hansei takes into consideration what we do (what people do) not any system or process bugs. That is why it is extremely important to understand your mind and discover our weaknesses. Hansei is not a tool which measure performance but it is all about self-awareness. Later we need to realize the difference between what we actually accomplished and what we planned to achieve. Hansei is not about blaming others but to take a full responsibility for actions. We must do all we can to ameliorate. 100% of our being must be concentrate and fully aware of what can be reformed. How much are we dedicated to improvement is later a result of our action. Good for us will be to divide the biggest action into to small ones and extract motivation and good attitude from what is already accomplished. Also, a good habbit will be to get used to take a minute every hour to analyze what was done wrong, what was done correct and draw conclusions - rearrange up to date.

History of Hansei

If Hansei is acceptable in company it may become the most intense tool. In American culture it is always difficult to understand yourself, and analyze your decision and draw conclusion. The first one who noticed that was Mike Masaki from Toyota Technical Center (1995-2000) when he went to America. Mike spotted that and Americans were surprised and they were thinking that Masaki is crazy. They did their job, so they were expecting some applause not a complaining. For Masaki it was weird as well, as for him it was usual to name people's mistakes and "bad behaviors" as that is what he was doing in Toyota.

Examples of Hansei

• In Toyota, hansei is applied every day. For example, every morning the team starts with a hansei meeting to reflect on what they did the day before and how they can do it better.
• In many Japanese companies, hansei is used to reflect on the mistakes made during a project or task and to identify the areas where the team can improve.
• Hansei is also used in education, with teachers and students reflecting on what they have learned and how they can improve.
• In martial arts, hansei is used to reflect on the techniques and strategies used during a sparring session and to identify ways to improve.

Advantages of Hansei

Hansei has many advantages. It encourages continuous improvement and self-reflection, helping to identify mistakes and areas of improvement. Additionally, it facilitates collaboration and team-building, as team members come together to discuss and reflect on their mistakes, helping to create a sense of unity and shared responsibility. Furthermore, it encourages creativity and innovation, as members are free to brainstorm ideas to improve processes and find new solutions. Finally, it helps to create a culture of learning, as members become more aware of their own mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others, and strive to learn from them.

Limitations of Hansei

Hansei is an important part of the Toyota production system, however it also has some limitations. These include:

• Time: Hansei meetings can take up a lot of time, which can be detrimental to the progress of a project.
• Cost: Hansei meetings can also be costly to hold, as employees need to be paid for their time in the meeting.
• Over-emphasis on mistakes: Hansei meetings can have a tendency to focus too much on the mistakes that were made and not enough on the successes.
• Inability to keep up with changing environments: Hansei meetings may be limited in their ability to keep up with the changing needs of a project. This can lead to stagnation and inefficiency.

Other approaches related to Hansei

Apart from hansei, there are several other approaches related to Toyota production system. These are:

• Kaizen (jap. improvement): Kaizen is a continuous improvement process that focuses on eliminating waste, streamlining processes and empowering employees to identify and solve problems. Kaizen encourages all members of the organization to constantly strive for improvement, no matter how small.
• Jidoka (jap. automation): Jidoka is a manufacturing philosophy that focuses on using automation to improve the quality of products. It encourages employees to use automated processes and equipment to ensure that all products meet the highest quality standards.
• Genchi Genbutsu (jap. "go and see"): Genchi Genbutsu is a philosophy that encourages employees to go to the source of a problem or situation in order to understand it fully and make an informed decision.
• Andon (jap. signal): Andon is a system that allows employees to signal quickly when a problem occurs or something is not going according to plan. This allows the team to take immediate action to correct the problem.

In summary, hansei is just one of the many approaches related to the Toyota production system. Other approaches include kaizen, jidoka, genchi genbutsu, and andon. All these approaches are aimed at improving the quality of products and services, and empowering employees to make informed decisions.

Hansei — recommended articles

Genchi genbutsu — Kaizen principles — Kaizen — Lean software development — Continuous improvement — Blame culture — Innovation cycle — Muda mura muri — Management by wandering around

References

• Izumi-Taylor, S. (2009). Hansei: Japanese Preschoolers Learn Introspection with Teachers' Help, YC Young Children 64.4
• Liker J., K. (2004). The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer, McGraw-Hill, New York, p. 268-270
• Nishigori H., Sriruksa K. (2011). Asian perspectives for reflection, "Medical Teacher", no. 33, p. 580-581
• Yamazaki, J. (2006). Japanese apologies, "IIAS Newsletter", no. 44, p. 36

Footnotes

Author: Ewelina Kruszewska